The Top Companies Founded in Connecticut

Connecticut is home to some of the most successful companies in the world. From Fortune 500 companies to leaders in growing industries, the state has a wide range of businesses that have made their mark on the global economy. Cadenza Innovation, Cannondale Bicycle Corporation, Cartus, Charter Arms, Charter Communications, Cigna, Colt Defense, and Colt's Manufacturing Company are just a few of the many companies founded in Connecticut. The state is home to 14 of the Fortune 500 companies and hundreds more of leaders in advanced manufacturing, aerospace, bioscience, insurtech, medical technology and more.

The Hartford's Connecticut workforce has decreased by 10 percent in the past year due to an increase in remote work. GXO Logistics, founded last year by XPO Logistics, is now an independent company that ranks as one of the world's warehouse operators and employs about 120,000 people in more than 900 locations around the world. According to MNI, the compiler of industrial information that powers IndustrySelect, Connecticut is currently home to 4,513 manufacturers employing 208,147 workers. Groton is Connecticut's largest city based on the number of industrial jobs with 12,882 workers.

Hartford County is Connecticut's largest in terms of industrial jobs with 73,274 workers followed by Fairfield with 56,934 workers, New Haven (50,454 jobs), New London (12,608 jobs) and Middlesex (12,155 jobs). The transportation equipment sector represents 18 percent of the state's industrial labor force followed by manufactured metal products and industrial machinery each accounting for 13 percent. Instruments and related products represent 9 percent of Connecticut's manufacturing workforce along with printing and publishing with 9 percent. There are 15,949 executive contacts among Connecticut manufacturing companies including 2,826 presidents, 1,479 owners and partners; 1,751 vice presidents and 1,721 sales, marketing and purchasing executives.

Electric Boat Corp., founded in 1899 is a major defense firm specializing in the design and production of submarines for the U. S. Navy as well as providing support for the submarine's lifecycle. Employing 12,000 employees at Groton it is one of the top employers in Connecticut.

Medtronic began as a medical equipment repair center founded in Minneapolis in 1949 and today is a world leader in medical devices with offices in 140 countries. The largest of Medtronic's two New Haven facilities employs 3,000 people and specializes in adhesion barriers for surgical sprays and suture sealants. Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals founded in Germany in 1885 is a world leader in pharmaceutical research and production. The company's Ridgefield headquarters was established in 1971 and functions as the U. Headquarters focusing on immune modulation and discovery of NBE cardiometabolic diseases and more. Middletown facility is the smaller of the two Pratt & Whitney locations in Connecticut employing 2,300 people producing aircraft engines.

Kaman Corp located in Bloomfield CT distributes electromechanical products bearings power transmission motion control as well as electrical power and fluid components employing 1,000 Connecticut workers. The following list of Connecticut companies includes notable companies that have or were once headquartered in Connecticut: General Electric Cigna Aetna United Technologies Corporation Xerox Pitney Bowes Frontier Communications Praxair Eversource Energy Stanley Black & Decker The Hartford Financial Services Group Webster Financial Corporation Kaman Corporation Electric Boat Corporation Medtronic Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals Pratt & Whitney Kaman Corp. These are the companies their Fortune 500 rankings their headquarters and their total revenues for the last fiscal year: General Electric (6) Fairfield Cigna (30) Bloomfield Aetna (37) Hartford United Technologies Corporation (51) Farmington Xerox (118) Norwalk Pitney Bowes (139) Stamford Frontier Communications (183) Norwalk Praxair (194) Danbury Eversource Energy (201) Berlin Stanley Black & Decker (212) New Britain The Hartford Financial Services Group (223) Hartford Webster Financial Corporation (248) Waterbury Kaman Corporation (310) Bloomfield Electric Boat Corporation (323) Groton Medtronic (326) Middletown Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals (331) Ridgefield Pratt & Whitney (335) Middletown Kaman Corp (367) Bloomfield. Over the years engineers software developers and IT specialists have founded incredible technology companies in Connecticut that have been involved in everything from fiber optics and desktop computing to audio products and aircraft engines. CEO Judy Marks is one of the 44 tallest women of all time who currently serves as CEO of a Fortune 500 company and the only woman running one of the Connecticut-based companies on this year's list.